Good evening, Slashdotters. Feel free to check out the rest of our Windows 7 launch coverage, including a quick video interview with Microsoft Corporate Vice President Brad Brooks as well as a rundown of how the Windows 7 tweet-up went on Thursday night
We’ve tried to withhold ourselves from sourcing our news from leaky valves in Microsoft as of late (and you can see where that’s gotten us. ahem), but we don’t just stay away for the sake of keeping ourselves out of that eternally stressful race for content. We tend to stay out of it because behind every leak, someone’s job suffers as a result.
I had a very open interview with someone at the launch event. This person frequently deals with product leaks, and as a result, it’s fair to say that the person knows exactly how said leaks impact work, the lives of everyone connected to the project, the public perception of a product, and so forth. My interview with this particular Microsoft employee was fulfilling in the sense that I’m able to offer an uncensored glimpse into what Microsoft has to deal with whenever someone decides to leak a build, leak a screenshot, break an embargo, and what not.
Check the break to read about how it all went down. Keep in mind that there’s no video or audio and that this is, indeed, a long read apparently not as long as some people have seen in the past. Thanks is due to the anonymous commentators who pointed this out.
Anonymous Softie: So, with regards to leaks
Bryant: Yeah
Anonymous Softie: Leaks can affect the public perception of a product. For instance, there’s a reason why we only release specific builds. You know, because we want to release a certain level of quality that people can take a look at, have faith in, and [say] "okay, this is the product, the product is progressing as planned." Sometimes, interim builds, leaked builds, they often haven’t passed any of our quality checks. They were never meant to be released.
Bryant: Right. They can easily have nasty bugs.
Anonymous Softie: Yeah, exactly, and all of a sudden, you’ve got everyone in the world taking a look at this build; everyone wants to see the leaked build, right? ’cause it’s mysterious. It’s rare. It’s from the inside. So yeah, there could be bugs in it. People [find] bugs in it. They question functionality they find in it. And so when all of that happens, my phone starts ringing [with] people asking for comments. I’m not doing my day job at that point.
Anonymous Softie: And so, one, it’s a huge distraction on all of us. Phones ring off the hook. [People say] "I can’t believe there’s this shitty quality build out there!" It’s like, look, I’m not going to take time to talk to you, first of all, ’cause you, you know, that was an unplanned leak. It’s not representative of what we ultimately want to sanction and release.
Anonymous Softie: So, there’s the distraction, the bugs… if it’s really buggy, people might think that that’s the current state of the product when, in fact, it’s not. Internally, we’re already many many builds beyond the one that’s leaked. We don’t really care about that one. It doesn’t exist.
Bryant: Right.
Anonymous Softie: –for all we care.
Bryant: Right. It never happened.
Anonymous Softie: It never happened! But everyone is quick to jump to an opinion about that particular moment in time. They often draw incorrect conclusions, "oh my gosh, the product is incomplete, it doesn’t have this, it doesn’t have that." So that’s one.
Anonymous Softie: And quite often we have features that come out over time, right? You don’t necessarily have all the features in [Windows 7 Milestone 3], for instance. We didn’t have any [of the new] UI.
Bryant: Right. Well when we posted [the article about Milestone 3], that was it. It was just very bare and everything was hidden by a bunch of switches. I remember when we originally posted the very suggestive "we know what’s coming but we don’t actually… know" article, we got a lot of hits. We really killed your day job with that one.
Anonymous Softie: Yeah. So it’s a big distraction; it causes people to form incorrect opinions which I as a communications professional ultimately have to fix. Right? The world starts thinking "Wow, this is it?" and I go "Wait, wait wait"
Bryant: "Yeah, this was like a few months in the past. We’re much further ahead of this now, and there are different branches [besides the one with the leaked build], etc."
Anonymous Softie: Exactly. It’s a distraction for developers that are… you know, so we have an enormous [Independent Software Vendor] community that tests various milestones. They test their software. They test their drivers. They test their apps.. and for them it’s a distraction too because they’re wondering "wow, what’s going on? Should I look at this? Should I stop what I’m doing and look at this leaked build?" and so it tends to slow everything down.
Anonymous Softie: Those are the biggest issues that we have. And then so many people get sucked into potentially having to respond to all the questions that people are raising about that particular moment in time. We just don’t have time to deal with that, and so, generally, we don’t comment on unreleased builds.
Bryant: There you go.
Bryant:
I guess… how does it affect, I mean, you talked about how it affects you guys, what you guys do, but let’s say… how does it affect the actual development of a product itself? Or, on a similar line, how does it affect the timeline? Let’s say you’ve got a bunch of leaks setting things back.
Anonymous Softie: It generally doesn’t affect the timeline. The developers are always heads down; they’re writing code, they’re fixing bugs, but even they will stop and read the reviews of the leaked build. So there’s loss of progress there, potentially. And so, when you add it all up, it really does no one any good. ’cause even all the people that pause to download it– we also have the problem of viruses. People leak builds. They stuff them with payloads, and everyone wants the leaked build. They get a bunch of viruses, and now I have to deal with that problem. So, in some sense, it’s "dangerous" as well, and we have no control over what’s out there, what the quality is…
Anonymous Softie: but leaks generally don’t affect the schedule, but they affect the communication. They affect the perception They’re a distraction for all of the outside developers in the world that are trying to be focused on the right builds, and they might see something they didn’t expect, but when you catch us in between, all bets are off. We establish a contract with developers. We say "here are the APIs." It’s a contract between Microsoft and the developers. [We tell them] "we’re not going to change these APIs." and interim builds could actually have changes, maybe some things that we’re actually just testing out, prototyping. And so, you get some people on the outside that are, you know, wondering "Gosh. Did Microsoft– Did I not– Did I miss something? Did Microsoft not tell me what’s happened?" And so it’s pure theater.
Bryant: Right.
Anonymous Softie: People like to see it because it’s secret and nobody else can see it, but if you download some rogue binary from some site and you get infected, or you download something that, you know… people accuse that, even, of being Microsoft’s fault, and I’m generally the one that has to deal with… you know, whenever press call, my phone rings. I would rather spend my time preparing for that next big real milestone, making sure people have the most accurate information and keeping everyone on track instead of being distracted by all of these external issues.
Bryant: Now that was with regards to, um, actual build leaks. How about news leaks? Like, um, if somebody leaks a screenshot of something in progress– I figure that would possibly be the same ordeal. You know, news leaks, perception leaks [such as reviews], let’s say an embargo is broken about something. How about those? How does that work?
Anonymous Softie: Both a similar and a whole different set of issues as well. You know, we have a… I have a very professional relationship with all of the professional journalists that I work with. And so, it’s difficult. When I en masse pre-brief journalists and I say "okay, all of the information that I’m telling you under confidence–" professionals embargoed under this certain date. For the most part, people respect that. But then, somebody breaks the embargo, and then all the other journalists look around [and think] "well, they went! I gotta go!" And then it jeopardizes my relationship with other people ’cause suddenly everybody is going. At the end of the day, it often causes a lot of misinformation to be out there because people– I haven’t had a chance to talk to you, Bryant, yet, to let you know what’s our intent, What do we do and what is this about, why are we delivering this thing, who is it for, what’s it capable of doing. And so, if I don’t have that opportunity to kinda frame everything with everybody and put it in context, everybody starts speculating. "Maybe it means this. Maybe it means this. Maybe it means that.” Again, huge distractions. The people that need accurate information don’t have that accurate information any longer, and I spend weeks trying to sorta put things back in order so that everyone has the accurate Microsoft view of things instead of 30 different conspiratorial opinions on what may or may not be true.
Bryant: Yeah, of course. And, well I suppose for now that’s all I’m really looking for.
Anonymous Softie: Cool.
Whether this person’s account of how leaks affect things at Microsoft represents the Microsoft way of thinking is beyond me. I didn’t ask, but it’s safe to infer that this person isn’t the only person who thinks along these lines.
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That was not a “long read”.
excellent interview! I can’t wait to see what happens with windows 8 leaks!
I’ve read comment sections longer than this article.
so in a nutshell – they ignore the leaks as they’re little more than fanboy theatre … and get on with developing fairly uninspiring software?
I, too, am a communications professional, and I find this person from MS to be a complete whiner. Leaks happen in every line of work (I’m politics, imagine those leaks!) and you have to find a way to deal with them and work them to your benefit. This guy gives the impression that he is incapable of handling his job.
Kevin, the guy gives the impression that he’s fine with doing his job but wouldn’t mind his job being made a little bit easier. Everyone wishes the same whenever the opportunity presents itself.
It’s an anonymous interview, and the odds of this guy being found out are basically nil. He can vent his frustrations if there’s little risk of being caught, and I would too.
Cool article. I never really thought about what the software vendor’s feel about the leaks – I just assumed it was mostly their own marketing (any publicity is good publicity, you know what I’m saying?) but I guess this isn’t what the marketing department wants, really.
Not a long read – but an educational one.
The way I see it is this: A company doesn’t like leaks because then information is released without the ability for PR to put their unique “spin” on it, to downgrade the flaws and talk up the major points. Yes, in some instances you will have an incomplete view of the big picture, but allowing speculation is part of what makes the web such a marvel of modern man. We are connected in a way that all of our input can and very well may be considered on a specific topic, and what the leaked build (or info) “may become” or what it is presently is no different. In fact, leaked builds can lead to additional functionality that the finalized product would have never had, in some cases, because the community as a whole is able to look at the unfinished picture and paint another “use” for the product.
All of this would never have happened if the “this is what the product is, and only is, and ignore this over here” was ever released about the product. This right here is precisely why the proprietary model should be put down like a sick dog, and open source models of business should be embraced.
you know, i really found this article to be educational also, because i’ve seen it before where someone will post a leak of some sort, a leaked build, or leaked screen shots, something leaked, and they will say ‘wow look it’s so rough man this will be the worst most horrible experience ever’ or ‘look they cut this essential feature out it will be horrible’ or ‘look how sloppy everything is!’. from what i read of this dev’s statements, he sounds like me when i’m working on anything, from my car to my computer. if an outsider peeked in and looked at it all while i’m in the middle it may look really sloppy. dirt all over, parts strew right and left, half of it doesn’t even work, and i myself am just sloppy and dirty. dust on my nose, smudges on my glasses, grease on my hands. it really presents the idea that i am just a slob and also that the finished product will be horribly broken.
of course, that is the not the case. i just need to get dirty and make a mess to get anywhere sometimes. i may wind up taking whole sections of my computer or car out and botching something together just to test something. it doesnt’ look good at all, but it’s just part of the process. when i’m done, it will be functional. it will work. it will in fact even look nice, but i have my process to work in and if you step into that while i’m busy and you don’t know what is going on in my head, you won’t be impressed.
so please, save the hating on this dev for someone else. i’m glad he said something. it helps put these negative reviews of various Windows leaked builds (or WIP builds of anything really) in perspective. important things to realise i figure.
thanks, anonymous dev.
If I read one more “you know” I may just throw someone out the window.
Hrm, anyone notice:
“that was an unplanned leak”
Is someone validating what I’ve been saying about the funky stuff even Microsoft pulls?
The ridiculous thing is that M$ can fix the majority of their own problems with the review/release process simply by doing what other companies already do: Apple doesn’t seem to have much of a problem with leaks, so maybe M$ is hiring people (qualified people, no doubt) that maybe can’t be trusted to be involved in the Development process.
Beyond that, pretty much anyone that downloads/installs Alpha/Beta releases understands that they are not Final Builds. Yes, you get some people that don’t know the difference, but by and large most computer users aren’t even interested in the “next best thing”. I agree with the earlier poster that mentioned the M$ $pin that they can’t put on their software when there’s been a leak. Unfortunately, for M$, they’ve made it a habit of releasing software that had no business being released as a “Final Build” in the past. They’ve done it ENOUGH times in the past to make IT people a bit nervous about the next “great” OS coming out of Redmond. Speaking from a Support perspective, knowing full well that your bosses wife is going to insist on installing the latest and greatest and that you’ll have to support the new OS when it’s released is a freaking nightmare…and it’s all compounded by M$’s SOPs, which are desperately in need of a review.
All of you kids need to redirect your hate towards this MSFT developer to /dev/null because it’s just pure bullshit that makes me hope you get hit by a bus.
As he said, most of these leaks are obtained from 3rd parties, which is called piracy. Which is you know, illegal? While I don’t support it at all I’m not against it in certain ways[1]. These builds spread faster than genital warts and then that’s when rumors start, all because some bored kids wanted to be able to show off. While certain employees should be holding up to their NDA (which at most other places, you breach it and your ass is gone), I don’t entirely blame them like I blame bored kids who want some e-Bling. I personally have nothing to do with any pre release stuff of anything unless i directly need it for $REASON and I have legitimate access to it, if I want something to show off I have a good looking girlfriend for that, who I have sex with, lots of sex.
[1]: http://www.eff.org/cases/capitol-v-thomas
you know it sounds like he would be more ok with it happening (but its never really ‘right’) If people wouldnt bother him or the rest of microsoft for info/deets/etc. Each time a leak happens. If people would wise up and remember that a leak doesnt come with any express garentees or support and NOT bother MS at all, then it sounds like this source and the rest of microsoft would be happier, but people cant establish that. Its as if a physical brick wall needs to go up and seal off microsoft so they wont be bothered each time a leak hits the tubes.
We all know leaks hurt a company and this basically wasnt anything we didnt know, but now is reinforced because it comes from the horses mouth. To me the source of this story could also make his life a bit easier by establishing an unwritten ‘law’ that says to all who question me about an unsacntioned build I will hang up on you or ignore your emails, txt, etc. By sticking to such a ‘law’ he wouldnt be feeding the animals and they wouldnt keep coming back, so to speak. I do however understand its not just that easy in most cases, but thats a good start to put into place when you can.
To the greedy public who is going to get a leak no matter how tight the iron fist: Appreciate you got anything, because you luck says you didnt have to, and be quite appreciate it for what it is, if its broke its broke, and DO NOT bother them and let them carry on their work. If you have sources or what not in a company and you get a leak (from the tubes) dont bother that source for deets or info on what has leaked. Let him or her do their job.
Also to the greedy public now can you see why sinofsky doesnt want the public or beta testers to have more than just the beta and the RC? Do you see why office never had intermin milestone release? this is exactly why.
@stitch (aka Zimmy) There’s more to leaks than simply showing off your wonderful find to the internet. Most of the people I know with goods don’t run around the internet showing it off or bragging on their little blogs about how they managed to get build 7xxx by pulling some strings. What IS posted on blogs similar to this one on certain unleaked builds are screenshots showing off the new features in Windows so that curious geeks who don’t want to spend their days hunting down such builds can learn about the new features in them. That IS the point of the community right? To share information amongst one another so we can all learn something new.
Also, as far as I know, build leaks are NOT piracy (though they do violate NDA). I don’t see build 6519 of Windows 7 on the store shelves when I run to the local CompUSA, or build 7264 E edition on stores over in EU countries. Now, if you were to crack the Windows 7 RTM build and use it without lawfully purchasing it, than that’s piracy. But pre-release software for testing purposes only that won’t go up for sale isn’t piracy in my book. I’ve probably downloaded every leak (and then some), but I’m running a legit copy of Windows right now on all of the machines in my house.
I’ve seen you on another community and your ego still baffles me considering you’re pretty much a nobody.